This Summer – Take Your Family Cargo Container Camping

Looking for a green way to spend your summer vacation this year? Less than a one-hour drive east of Seattle, Washington, you can find the Tolt MacDonald Park & Campground nestled in the Tolt River-John MacDonald Park, which is run by King County Natural Resources and Parks.

The Tolt Campground unveiled its first new Camping Container last September, an upcycled surplus 24-foot shipping container that utilizes recycled and sustainable materials to provide comfortable accommodations to visiting families (it sleeps up to four in a double/single futon bunk bed and a futon chair that converts to a single bed).

The sustainable features of the project, developed by Joel Egan of Seattle design firm, HyBrid Arc, include LED lighting, radiant heating, use of low-VOC materials. His treatment was the winning design in a contest run by King County that required submissions to be green and focus on recycle and reuse concepts. If you’re interested in “tiny home” living, staying in the Camping Container is a great way to find out if you are capable of living this small and to get inspiration for your own upcycled shipping container designs.

Located on the Park’s west side, across from the Snoqualmie River, the Camping Container site is walk-in only on a path that crosses a 500-foot suspension bridge. It is available for overnight stays starting from $50 per night on weekends between May 1 through September 30.

Tolt Park also has camping areas for tents, recreational vehicles, and small and large groups. Six yurt structures that sleep up to seven people are available for two-day minimum stays on weekends and three day minimum stay on holidays.